Merry Stump Day, Marco Diaz!
by thDorkMagnet
Summary: One shot taking place in my "Light of the Sun and Stars AU" It's Marco's first time celebrating Stump Day and he is excited to spend it with Star and the others. But when he learns its also Star's birthday, he goes on a desperate quest to get his girlfriend the perfect present.


Merry Stump Day, Marco Diaz!

**Happy Holidays Stardom! It's me, thDorkMagnet, bringing you all an awesome Stump Day story for you to enjoy! So yeah this year I wanted to do something special for the season and well here we are! I even managed to get it out on Christmas Eve like I wanted to!**

** Just so any newcomers know, this does take place in my AU story, "Light of the Sun and Stars" so if you haven't read that, this probably won't make a lot of sense to you. This is more my Christmas gift to all my awesome readers since they 100% deserve something special for the holiday. You may be wondering why I posted this separately from my main story, well its because I didn't want to break the narrative flow I have going since this doesn't really connect up with the current time line. It is cannon to the story but it just doesn't fit in with what is going on at the moment.**

** So anyways, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters belong to Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.**

The snow was falling softly onto the peaceful dimension of Mewni, bathing the world below in a blanket of white, making the landscape look like something out of a fairytale. A peaceful atmosphere and festive spirit seemed to have settled over Mewni, no soul left feeling sad or downtrodden on that of the most joyous day of the year: Stump Day. And it came as no surprise at all that Butterfly Kingdom had gone all out in their celebration, since it was no secret that their rulers adored the holiday. Many Mewmans and even a few Monsters wandered the frost covered streets chatting and enjoying the decorations that seemed to hang from every lamppost and home, everything covered in glowing lights and luminescent crystals, creating a beautiful display of colors and cheer. And at the very center of all the festivities stood Butterfly Castle, the residents inside enjoying the most extravagant party in the dimension as the royal family and their friends were all gathered together in the Great Hall for drinks and stories.

And it just so happened that Marco Diaz was currently listening to one of those very stories being told to him by Star's dad, the stump-shaped cup of hot cocoa in his hands all but forgotten as he listened intensely to the story of the very first Stump Day. His eyes were shimmering with intrigue and his sun cheek marks spun away in excitement, while next to him, Star sat with her head resting against her hands looking equally as engrossed in the story as her boyfriend and best friend was. She had even dressed for the occasion, wearing overtop her usual casual attire of a sea green dress, she was now wearing a red fleece jacket that went down to just below her hips and buttoned with three identical black buttons in the middle. Her leggings were now pure white and instead of purple boots she had swapped them out with black ones that had a reindeer face painted on the front of them. She still wore the horns Marco had given her but her hair had been braided back with red string and tied into a festive looking bow at the end of her hair. Marco kept finding himself staring at his bestie, adoring her colorful attire and he silently wished he had dressed up for the occasion as well. But for right now, his attention and focus was entirely on King River as he began his tale.

"Back long ago when Mewni was still young and the people inexperienced, back before anyone knew of dimensional travel and magic and even basic hygiene, lived the original Mewmans," the king began, his tone light and cheerful but carrying a weight of importance that seemed to suck you in and left you hanging on his every word and Marco found himself impressed by this ability. Star's dad truly had a talent for storytelling. "Back then, everybody only looked out for themselves, only forming small groups and tribes, while everyone else was there enemy!" As River slammed his hand down on the table Marco jumped, his eyes incapable of growing any larger as he learned more about his heritage. "Fights broke out all the time back then, both Mewmans and Monsters constantly at war with themselves and each other as they tried to gain dominance. Until one day, magic was discovered by the Mewmans and with this power came a battle unlike anything the world has ever seen! The greedy and selfish Mewmans began trying to destroy their brethren, hoping to conquer Mewni for themselves! But as the battle continued, it seemed they were all doomed to wipe each other into extinction instead."

"What about the Monsters?" Marco spoke up and River looked over at the boy with slight annoyance at the interruption.

"Monsters were smart," Buff Frog answered from his table, where he and the rest of Marco's Monster family sat listening to the story, Star somehow able to convince her parents to let them be there for the celebration, knowing how important it was to Marco to have all his loved ones around on his first real Stump Day. "They know better than mess with magic."

River cleared his throat, trying to pull the attention back onto him as he muttered, "Yes well, excluding the Monsters who have nothing really to do with this story..." He took a deep breath before continuing in his usual jovial manner, "Anyways, as the fighting grew worse and worse, a blizzard struck out of nowhere, quickly ending the battle as they were all forced to instead seek comfort from the dangerous cold. But all that fighting had devastated the land and what little was left was blown away by the swift and deadly storm. There was nowhere safe for them to go." River paused for dramatic effect, looking over the watching crowd. Marco was on the edge of his seat at this point, his eyes filled with fear as he began anxiously biting his fingernails, while his girlfriend just smiled over at his cuteness.

"Until," River finally continued, causing Marco to let out a loud sigh of relief. "Oh good, there's more," he muttered and Star had to bite her lip to keep from cooing over how adorable her Marco could be sometimes. "They eventually came across a giant tree that seemed to be at the very heart of Mewni, its wooden frame too strong to be blown apart by the wind and its branches big enough to keep all of them safe and dry. The early Mewmans, although still full of hate, had no choice but to gather together around the tree to stay alive. And after a while, as they stayed huddled together, trying to find warmth, they eventually began to let go of their harsh feelings, forgetting about their differences and hatred as a warmth within them started to grow and fill their hearts with peace instead of sensless violence. Eventually, the storm passed but the time the Mewmans had spent together underneath that tree had left a lasting impression.

"They ended the war that day and from there the Mewmans began spreading out across Mewni, creating an alliance of kingdoms that stood with each other rather than against each other. And at the center of all the other kingdoms, stood the most powerful of them all, the Butterfly Kingdom, set up in the very place the fighting and violence had once taken place, now a symbol of peace across the land. In fact, the very tree that kept everyone alive was cut down and used as wood to make the very castle we sit in today.

"But its the stump that was left afterwards that we honor and celebrate every year on this day for bringing us all together and for reminding us that deep down we are all Mewmans!" River finished his speech, before raising his cup high and declaring, "To the stump!"

"To the stump!" came the replied shout from the crowd, Marco shouting the phrase at the very top of his lungs, before gulping down the soothing hot chocolate along with the everyone else. The minute he was done chugging the drink, he let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the table as he said wistfully, "Wow, that was an incredible story."

"Yeah but King River always leaves out the rest of it," Jackie commented and Marco gave her a wonder-filled look.

"There's more?" he asked hopefully and Jackie couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"Yeah dude, in fact Stump Day is completely different now then it was back in the day thanks to Earth."

"Wait, really!" Marco gasped in intrigue.

"See, on Earth we have a similar holiday called Christmas and after we became allies with Mewni, the Mewmans started adopting some of our traditions, like giving gifts to show your love and appreciation of each other, rather than just spending the whole holiday celebrating the Stump."

"Which the Stump wasn't too happy about," Janna pointed out.

"Yeah but it worked out. Eventually even the Stump had to submit to the power of Christmas spirit," Jackie replied, clenching a fist dramatically. "It's said that the stump's heart was melted after our guy, Santa Claus, showed him the true meaning of Christmas and he even teamed up with him one year to help bring presents to not just the good kids of Earth... but Mewni too."

"Wow, Jackie how do you know so much about all this?" Marco asked, looking quite impressed with his friend's knowledge.

Jackie gave him a sheepish grin before admitting, "I learned about it mostly from this old cartoon special my parents and I used to watch back on Earth every year. 'How the Stump Saved Christmas', it was pretty cheesy but it was my favorite as a kid."

Marco let all this sink in, before exclaiming,"Wow, I can't believe I went all these years without knowing anything about Christmas _or_ Stump Day!"

"I can't believe it either," Star agreed giving him a sad look. "This is my favorite time of year. I can't imagine not celebrating Stump Day. Did you and the Monsters ever do anything for the holiday?"

Marco shook his head. "No, all Toffee ever did was lay a couple of stumps around the castle and that was it." He let out a long sigh. "I have so much to catch up on."

"Well your in luck, Marco," Star told him, inching a bit closer so her side was touching his, as she put an arm around him. "Because here at Butterfly Castle we go all out for Stump Day. We bring you the works!"

"Yeah!" Marco cheered, pumping his fists into the air. But he turned to her with a confused look as he asked, "What are the works?"

"Well first up is carols and stories, which we just did," Star explained. "Then we got hot cocoa..." She held up her empty stump cup to show him. "Decorations and loved ones..." She gestured to the room around them, Marco smiling brightly at the familiar faces and colorful decorations that surrounded them. "... the stump of course. And last but not least is-"

"Presents!" Star's dad shouted at the top of lungs.

Moon shot her husband a look, before saying politely to the crowd, "Yes, will everyone please move single file into the throne room so gift unwrapping can commence."

"Ha ha come on slowpokes, I bet I'll be the first to open a present!" River shouted, rushing for the doors at top speed, yelling an annoying battle cry, the others following suit, though at a much slower pace. All the while, Moon buried her face in her hands at her husband's childish and embarrassing antics, muttering under her breath, "Oh River." Why did he have to be like this_ every single year_?

…

"Oh wow Jackie, thank you so much!" Marco cried as he ripped the last of the wrapping paper, holding the gift close to his chest while his eyes twinkled in delight. "I love it!"

Jackie smiled at him and said, "Glad to hear it, dude." She held back a giggle as she reminded him for probably the tenth time, "But you have to open the box to see what you got, remember?"

Marco nodded, a sheepish grin on his face as he said, "Right, right, I knew that." He had done that so far on every single gift he had been given, just as impressed by the packaging as the actual present inside. Not that anyone minded, it was adorable to see the boy so giddy and joyful at the simple act of receiving a gift from his friends and family that they all couldn't help but stop and watch his reactions all the way through. Marco opened up the box and gasped at what he saw inside, his eyes shimmering with gleeful gratitude as he shouted, "Thanks, Jackie! I love it!" He reached inside and pulled out the blue helmet decorated in cute designs, giving the girl a quick hug from the side. "I'll treasure it always!"

Jackie smiled. "I thought you might," she said. "I figured this way you had your own helmet to wear whenever you want to go skateboarding with me."

"Wow that's so awesome of you, thanks!" Marco said gleefully. He paused to set it beside him with his other presents before looking around the room in fascination again. It was hard not to, the big room one Marco had never seen before, a giant stump taking up quite a bit of the space there, which according to King River was the original one brought there by the Butterflys who built the castle. Its long roots looped and branched out across the massive space, creating nice places for everyone to sit as they opened presents, usually sitting in groups of three or four. Marco himself was currently squeezed between Star and Jackie, his pile of presents slowly diminishing until only one remained.

The boy frowned for a moment, suddenly feeling his stomach churning with guilt. Star picking up on the change in her boyfriend's demeanor asked, "What's wrong, Marco?"

"I guess I just feel bad that all of you got me gifts but I didn't get anything for any of you," he admitted.

Star gently put a hand over his, telling him softly, "Hey, it's okay. Nobody expects anything from you, Marco. We're all just happy you're here with us. Everyone just wants your first Stump Day to be special."

Jackie giggled slightly as she looked over her shoulder at the large pile of opened gifts and added, "Yeah, hence why everyone went overboard when they heard this was your first time celebrating."

"Maybe just a little," Star admitted as her and Marco followed their skater friend's gaze.

The hooded teen let out a deep breath, nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, you're right, guys. I should just enjoy it," he said, before flashing them a confident grin and declaring loudly, "And next year I'll be sure to give everyone here the best Stump Day gifts they've ever seen!"

"That's the spirit!" Jackie exclaimed, giving him a quick hug.

"But for now," Star said with a hinting tone, slowly reaching behind her. "You can... open this present I got for you!" The blond gave her boyfriend the brightest grin imaginable as she held up a bright red present with a pretty green bow around it.

Marco gasped with joy the moment he saw his gift, taking it eagerly out of her hands. "Oh wow, Star. This is so great! You didn't have to do this!"

"What and not get my boyfriend a present on his first official Stump Day?" Star teased, giving him a quick wink, which caused him to blush.

"Thanks, Star," he said shyly.

"So, what are you waiting for? Open it up," Star said, quickly losing her patience as she tried to guess what his reaction would be to her extra special gift. Her blue eyes sparkled as she watched him rip off the wrapping paper, not taking any time or care to preserve it, which was fine with her, just discarding it onto the floor without a second thought. He looked the box the bright red box over, his eyes incapable of growing any larger as he turned it around in his hands, observing every inch of the cubed surface. He hadn't even known boxes could come in different colors. "Wow, thank you Star, this is so awesome!"

Star laughed, putting her arms around him in a make-shift hug and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "If I had known you'd like the boxes this much I would have saved you up some."

Marco grinned goofily at his girlfriend's show of affection, saying brightly, "I guess I'm still pretty much in shock over getting any gifts at all."

Star and Jackie smiled at him, the skater saying, "Well you deserve every single one, dude."

"Yeah," she agreed. But her impatience finally won out as she gave him a tight squeeze and said, "Now hurry up and open it! You're going to love it!"

Marco laughed, saying, "Okay, okay." he threw the lid off, staring inside at his present, before his smile vanished, his jaw hitting the floor as he gave the object inside a disbelieving look. He was mesmerized, his sun cheek marks spinning a mile a minute as he processed what he was seeing. He looked over at Star with a questioning look, silently asking her if this was really for him and she nodded, her palms pressed together in front of her mouth as she gauged his reaction. The boy quickly looked back at his present before his breath hitched, tears flooding his vision. He reached inside and pulled out the bright red hoodie from within, holding it close to his chest as the box hit the floor with a muted and forgotten _thunk_.

The material was the exact same as the one he was wearing, soft to the touch, in fact it seemed like almost an exact replica to his favorite choice of clothing. But unlike the identical dozen hanging in his closet this one had festive designs stitched all over it. A stump occupied the center, of course, and below it Star and Marco were holding hands. A set of pretty yellow stars had been stitched in different sections of the hoodie, which he noticed all looked like the ones he had seen topping some of the trees around Mewni. Each sleeve had a green snowflake pattern on it, right at the elbows, and the inside of his hood was lined green as well. "Star, I-I don't know what to say," the boy whispered under his breath, still struggling to keep his tears at bay. "How did you find this?"

Star held him close to her as she explained, "I had it made for you. I managed to locate the company that made your old hoodies and I asked them to make a specialty one for you. This way, you'll always be able to look back and remember your first Stump Day with me."

"Oh wow, thank you, Star!" Marco cried, the tears now finally breaking free as they rolled down his cheeks. He hugged her close to him, laying his head on her shoulder as he repeated over and over again, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it so much!"

The joy on Star's face was indescribable as she made her Marco happy beyond belief. She loved spoiling him already, adoring the cute little face he would make whenever she surprised him with something. But this accomplishment might have been better than all the others, because she knew she had just made his day and she hoped this would be enough to convince him to agree with her on this being the greatest time of the year. And considering how tightly he was hugging, it would seem she had done just that, the blond royal silently congratulated herself on knowing her bestie well enough to get him exactly what he wanted.

The moment they pulled away, Jackie suggested, "Why don't you try it on, Marco?" The boy didn't even hesitate as he ripped off his old hoodie, Star grabbing it out of the air before watching as he slipped on the new one. He was too excited to even take the time to unzip it, just slipping it over his head and letting it slide down his body before stuffing his arms through. Marco squealed with delight, softly feeling of the fabric with his fingertips and standing up so he could admire himself from every angle. "It fits me perfect!" he shouted, not even realizing the sleeves were just a bit too long and kept falling over his hands. Star would have complained that the makers had gotten the specific dimensions she had given them wrong, but honestly he looked too adorable with sleeves that completely covered his hands. Plus Marco was pleased with it, Star figured she should be too.

Marco sat back down, rolling his sleeves up enough that he had use of his hands, proclaiming to the two girls, "This has been the best Stump Day I've ever had!"

"This is the only Stump Day you've ever had," Jackie playfully pointed out.

"Yeah but I don't think anything is going to top this," Marco said.

Star kissed his forehead, making him blush, as she said with a mischievous grin, "Challenge accepted."

Marco just smiled and laughed, but before he could retort, there was a call across the room. "Star!"

The three looked over to see Moon waving at her, trying to desperately get her attention as River was currently wrestling with one of his Johansen cousins, Rider, to get the mislabeled gift that both thought was addressed to them. Star cringed, before shouting, "Coming mom!" She turned to Marco, giving him an apologetic grin as she sheepishly muttered, "Sorry, duty calls! Be right back, okay?"

"Sure thing," Marco said, smiling to let her know it was fine. But as he noticed his hood still tucked under her arm, he quickly added, "Oh here let me take that back."

He reached out a hand to grab it, but to his surprise Star pulled away, frantically shouting, "No, no it's fine. I'll keep a hold of it a little longer. So I can, uh... give it to Sir Lavabo."

"But Sir Lavabo is off for the day," Jackie pointed out.

"Well I could at least send it to be washed," Star quickly countered, her cheeks now coated in a bright blush. "Okay well, I better get going!" she quickly excused herself, running over to her parents.

Marco and Jackie shared a look. "What was that about?" the boy wondered aloud.

"No idea," Jackie responded, looking equally as confused. But after that, the two let the subject drop, the two settling into a comfortable silence, just watching the others, who were all equally in the festive spirit.

Tom and Janna sat side by side on one of the stumps, the beanie-wearing teen watching as the demon boy opened his gift with a cheerful smile. But it vanished in an instant as he held up the tiny mistletoe in his hands, giving her a questioning look. "Come on, Janna. Mistletoe, really? I thought you would be a bit more clever than that," he said with a scoff, rolling his eyes. At this point, Tom had been around Janna enough to learn her ways and was almost unfazed by most of her flirtatious charms. Which is why, now she had taken that as a personal challenge, constantly going out of her way with more and more insane schemes to make him blush and lose his cool. But this did not seem to be one of them as she pulled off the oldest trick in the book.

Janna, didn't seem troubled or ashamed though, as she just smirked at him, saying lazily, "Oh Tom, ye of little faith. What is in your hand right now, isn't just mistletoe."

Tom gave her a stunned expression, asking hesitantly, "Then... what is it?"

"It's a magically infused patch of mistletoe, which makes anyone who touches it have a sudden and uncontrollable urge to kiss whoever is nearest them." Janna scooted just an inch closer, her elbows resting on her knees as she said flirtatiously, "So Lucitor, where's my Stump Day present?"

Make directed his attention next over to his Monster family who all sat clumped together around their leader, Buff Frog, who waved as he noticed Marco's attention on him. The boy waved back, before pointing to his hoodie and his dad gave him a proud shake of his head and thumbs up. But his attention was quickly drawn back to his rowdy friends, Beard Deer currently getting annoyed with Lobster Claws, who had spent the last minute and a half shaking his present, trying to guess the contents within. The crustacean had a thoughtful expression as he rotated the gift in his oversized claws before giving it another shake, making Beard Deer growl in frustration. "Just open it already, idiot!" the deer Monster shouted.

"Hang on, I like to take my time," Lobster Claws responded.

"Well at this rate, Stump Day will be over before you get done!"

"Okay, okay, fine," the crustacean finally snapped, before slowly beginning to peel away the paper, inch by tortuous inch, Beard Deer letting out an infuriated groan, his whole body shaking with mirth.

Marco smiled at his families antics before turning his attention to Higgs, trying not to laugh out loud at what he saw, knowing the consequences for doing such a thing. The redheaded knight and her dad were currently wearing matching green sweaters, Dex grinning goofily while his daughter had her arms crossed in front of her chest, a sour expression on her face. "Isn't this fun, Higgs!" her dad asked with a cheerful demeanor.

"Not really," the girl grumpily mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, sweetie?" Dex asked, not quite hearing her.

Higgs groaned. "I said this is embarrassing, dad! All the other knights are gonna be making fun of me! I'll be the laughingstock of the castle for weeks!"

"Well I think I you look good, Higgs," Jak helpfully pitched in.

"I don't need your pity, Jak!" Higgs barked at him.

Dex sniffed, tears filling his vision as he quietly whispered to himself, "Just like her mother."

"Vioooollet!" a small voice shrieked, gaining Marco's attention as he quickly checked to make sure the twins were okay, but sighed in relief as he saw that Daisy and Violet were still just playing with their new toys together on the floor. The cutesy twin had a set of 'My Little Unicorn's' that her mom had gotten her, while Violet was playing with her new pose-able Monster action figure (a gift from Star apparently). Daisy was pouting as she crossed her arms bitterly in front of her chest. "Stop knocking over my unicorns! They are trying to graze!"

"Yeah well they can't now because a Monster is attacking them!" Violet screamed, before roaring and making her toy stamp around, knocking over several of Daisy's unicorn collection. "Silly unicorns, me smash them with super strong feet!" the girl said in the deepest voice she could, clearly speaking for her action figure.

"That's not fair! You're breaking the rules, Violet," Daisy whined, pointing an accusing finger her way.

Violet laughed, still speaking in her Monster voice, "Ha ha ha, me Monster, me no care about rules! Now to destroy pitiful horses with my laser vision!" She starting making shooting sounds with her mouth, while her sister just groaned in annoyance.

"Monsters don't even have laser vision," Daisy pointed out.

"Yeah, well this one does," Violet told her, breaking character for a moment.

"Fine, than my unicorns use magic to slay the Monster," the cutesy girl declared, picking up two of her toys and aiming it at Violet's action figure.

"Not if he gobbles them up first!" the creepy kid exclaimed.

"Ha, yeah right, everyone knows unicorns taste bad," Daisy matter-of-factly stated.

Marco smiled, glad to see the two playing and getting along... sorta. His eyes continued scanning the area looking for their mom, not surprised when he found her surrounded by a large group of guys all craving her attention, which she seemed to be loving every second of. She gasped as she opened up the tiny present in her hands saying in a sugary-sweet tone, "For me? Oh Manfred you shouldn't have" The Mewman in question was smiling ear to ear, a bright blush on his face, while the others were shooting him death glares.

Marco smiled at the older royal, wondering how she managed to capture so many people's attention at once. Everyone always seemed to love her and that was a trait Marco wished he could know more about, since his insecure side still surfaced and caused him trouble every now and then.

The boy let out a deep sigh, letting everything sink in as he just enjoyed the moment. Everything was so wonderful and new and fantastic and he didn't even think he had a word to describe how happy he was to be a part of it. It made him feel special, made him feel like he belonged, like this was where he was always meant to be. He couldn't believe how many Stump Day's had been robbed from him, how many memories he had missed out on due to Toffee's selfishness. But at least he was here now and that was really all that mattered, he realized.

Marco turned to look back at his presents, thinking of how wonderful and incredible his family was, when something occurred to him. Star hadn't opened a single gift. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed, too entranced in his unwrapping frenzy to realize his girlfriend had just been watching _him_ the whole time. He quickly looked around for any signs of Star's presents around the branch they were sitting on, before his eyes scanned the rest of the room, hoping maybe they had all just been misplaced or something. But everyone else was done with their wrapping and he couldn't see a single, unopened box left anywhere in the massive room.

The boy frowned, before turning back to Jackie asking in concern, "How come Star didn't get a present?" He couldn't believe it, if anyone deserved something special on Stump Day, it was Star. She was incredible and she deserved a billion gifts to show her just how amazing she was. How could nobody get her anything?!

"Oh Star usually waits to open up her presents the day after, y'know during her birthday party," Jackie nonchalantly explained.

Marco felt his heart stop as he screamed in shock, "What?! It's her birthday tomorrow!"

"No, it's today, but she always celebrates the day after," Jackie replied with a questioning look, taking in the look of surprise on her friend's face. "You really didn't know that?"

The boy shook his head, feeling the color draining from his face. How didn't he know that? Star was his girlfriend and his bestie, if anyone should have known when her birthday was it was him. "Marco," Jackie's voice softly called, incapable of reaching him as he lost himself more and more to his distressed thoughts. But not only didn't he know it was her birthday, but that also meant he hadn't gotten her anything either. He hadn't gotten his own girlfriend a present on her birthday... which also happened to be on her favorite day of the year! "Marco?" What was wrong with him? He had to fix this! He had to do something for her!"Marco?!" He had to show her just how special and important she was to him! He needed to-

"_Marco_!" Jackie shouted for the forth time, this time finally managing to gain his attention as he finally met her gaze. The boy noticed the concern in her eyes and the fact he was suddenly feeling light-headed and realized he had most likely just been hyperventilating. The skater gave him a comforting smile, telling him, "Look it's okay you didn't know."

"No it isn't!" Marco argued, his voice cracking against his will. "I'm her boyfriend, Jackie! How could I not get her anything on her birthday?!"

"Well look, you can just do it next year like we talked about," Jackie helpfully suggested, but Marco shook his head vigorously.

"No way, this is different," the hooded teen argued. "I can't be the only one who didn't get her a birthday present. I'd feel awful."

"Star would understand," Jackie reassured him.

Marco sighed. "But that's not the point. She shouldn't have to. She is the most amazing person I've ever met, she deserves better." Marco bit his lip as he tried to wrack his brain for an idea, as he muttered to himself, "There has to be something nice I can do for her."

Jackie watched her friend closely, judging his thoughtful expression as she realized that the hooded teen wasn't going to give up on this idea. His determination was something nobody could match and once he made his mind up, there was no stopping him. So wanting to cheer up her friend, she helpfully suggested, "Tell you what, how about later we go over to Quest Buy and find something for her. Would that make you feel better?"

Marco's face immediately broke out into a wide grin and he surprised her with a tight hug. "Yes that would be awesome Jackie! Thank you so, so much!"

Jackie giggled and gave him a gentle squeeze back, her heart leaping for being able to brighten the innocent teen's spirits. "No problem, Marco. You know I'm always here for you."

"Hey guys." The two pulled out of the hug to see Star standing over them (the hoodie still bundled up in her arms) looking tired but happy and she smiled over to them saying, "Sorry about that. So what do you want to do next?"

Before Jackie could say a word, Marco had grabbed a hold of her arm and loudly exclaimed, "Well actually, me and Jackie just realized that we needed to go do something, so we have to go."

Star seemed surprised by this, asking, "Now? But the party isn't over yet."

"Yeah but we really gotta go," Marco responded immediately, the skater not even having a chance to protest as the boy stood and began heading for the door. He shouted over his shoulder on the way out, "Great party! Had a great time, thanks everyone, bye!"

Star gave Jackie a quizzical look as she was dragged out of the room, but the white-haired teen merely shrugged in reply and gave her a sheepish smile, before following along after the boy, knowing it was pointless to argue with him at this point. Marco's mind was made up, he was getting a gift for Star.

…

Marco and Jackie casually strolled down the bustling streets of Mewni village, dodging joyful peasants that passed by them, all of them in a hurry to get somewhere it seemed. Marco did, however, receive several compliments for his festive hoodie which he just smiled and thanked them for. The streets were crowded with a million things to see and do that day, sellers giving out Stump Day merchandise, decorations and lights that covered every corner of town, and carolers singing traditional Stump Day carols with donations boxes set up to help those in need. Normally Marco would have stopped to enjoy and gawk at all the new sights and sounds, but today the hooded teen barely noticed any of it, he was on a mission and he couldn't afford to get distracted. And so with every step his pace increased more and more until he was almost jogging down the sidewalks, leaving his friend behind in a trail of dust.

After a few moments, Jackie called after him with a giggle, "Slow down, dude, you're gonna get run over."

"I know, I know," Marco said, himself down enough that he was side by side with Jackie, but the effort left him bouncing up and down with energy and impatience. "But we're so close. I just can't wait to get Star a birthday present. She's always doing so much for me, I really want to return the favor."

"And liberating her entire world and then becoming one of her most valued and hardworking members of her commission isn't enough?" Jackie asked in a teasing tone, raising a knowing eyebrow at her friend.

"You know what I mean," Marco argued, a grin lighting up his face at her playful demeanor. "This is different from all that. She's my girlfriend, isn't getting her a present on her birthday like one of the requirements of being a good boyfriend?"

"You got me there," Jackie replied, shooting him a wink.

The two turned to face forward and Marco gasped, his eyes shimmering as the Quest Buy shop finally came into view. "There it is! Come on Jackie, let's hurry!" Marco raced forward, Jackie doing her best to keep up with him, dodging smoothly around carts and passerbys giving them startled looks as they went by. The boy reached the store entrance, Jackie right on his heels, and he slammed the door open loudly shouting, "I'm here to buy the perfect gift!"

But he froze as he noticed that the store was completely empty and not just of customers... everything was gone, the shelves empty and the bins picked clean. The only one currently there was a very tired looking sloth, slowly sweeping the floor. "Wh-What happened? Where is everything?" Marco asked looking around the store with a frown.

"Uh yeah, we sold out for the day after our Stump Day 99 percent off sale," the sloth explained in an unenthusiastic voice.

"Sold out!" Marco whined, putting a hand to his head. "But now how am I gonna buy Star a birthday present?" he asked worriedly.

The sloth shrugged. "I don't know. Not my problem."

Jackie however was deep in thought, finally saying enthusiastically, "Luckily, I may know a way."

…

Marco stood open-mouthed, staring in wonder at the giant store before him the second he stepped through the portal. Jackie appeared right behind him, before sealing the dimensional tear back up with her pair of scissors. Marco, meanwhile, had yet to blink, afraid he would miss a single fantastical sight from the new world before him."Wwwwhhhoooaaa!" The boy whispered in amazement. The building looked more like a labyrinth than a store, endless rows filled with every item known across the multiverse which seemed to stretch outward into infinity. Marco could see several sloth workers restocking shelves or answering customer questions. He also spotted a large map, or he thought it was a map, it looked more like an ancient code that he wasn't even sure was decipherable, but he was grateful to see it all the same. A giant sign hung above the whole store, reading 'Quest Buy.'

"Pretty cool, huh?" Jackie asked, seeing the joy and astonishment written all over the boy's face. "This is the original Quest Buy, everything from our store and then some is here, which means we shouldn't have any trouble finding Star a present."

"I'll bet!" Marco exclaimed. "It's so _huge_! I-I can't believe a place like this even exists."

"Well its real, all right," Jackie replied with a chuckle. She gave her hooded friend an eager grin as she added, "So how about we start looking for that present?"

"Yeah!" Marco cried, pumping both fists into the air in excitement. He gasped as something caught his eye and quickly latched onto Jackie's arm, shouting, "Ooohh what's that? Let's start over there!" Jackie held back her laughter as the boy dragged her around the store, freaking out over something every couple of seconds.

After about half an hour of exploring the store, Marco started to get serious and doubled down on his gift getting mission. That was when Jackie discovered that the hooded teen was a _very_ picky shopper, at least where Star was concerned. Nothing seemed to be to the boy's liking, developing a very critical eye toward the wondrous items from across the multiverse. At some point, Jackie started pitching him suggestions, which didn't seem to help all that much.

"What about this?" Jackie suggested, holding up a pair of star earrings. "I bet Star would like these."

Marco gave them a frown, before shaking his head. "Mmm, nope. I can do better for her than that."

Jackie nodded and set them back. "Fair enough." The two continued on a few feet, before the skater suggested, "How about a wand charger, she can always use one of those?" She pointed down the aisle where a large selection of charging devices were.

"Too formal," the boy replied.

"Oookkkayy," Jackie said thoughtfully. "How about this?" The girl gestured to the device. "Its a device that can braid your hair in ten seconds or less guaranteed!"  
"So can Star's wand," Marco pointed out.

"Hadn't thought of that," the skater replied.

"Well what about this?"

"No."

"Or this?"

"Nope."

"This?"

"Um, is that box supposed to be buzzing?"

Jackie screamed and quickly threw the box of insta-kill bees back up on the shelf. "Why do they even have that here?" the skater asked, wiping her hands on her pant leg.

Both teens looked around at the massive store filled with a billion items, none of which seemed just right for Star, and they sighed. This was a lot harder than they were expecting.

"Are you in need of assistance?" a mechanical sounding voice said behind them and the two screamed and turned to see a large creature, its body made out of electricity with a large green eye that seemed to make up its entire face. The eyeball blinked red every couple of seconds as it stared at them with a dead look, making both of teens skin crawl.

"Um, who are you?" the boy asked, resisting the urge to hide behind his skater friend. He didn't like the way this thing was looking at him.

"I am Quest Buy's first customer service bot," the thing explained. "My function is to help our customers find a purchase that is to their satisfaction. Now then, are you in need of assistance?"

The two shared a look, before quickly shaking their heads, Jackie saying, "No, no that's okay. We're good."

"Yeah, you can go help someone else," the boy added, hoping he didn't sound too desperate to make the thing leave.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, my systems have picked up unhappiness from you two and I am unable to leave until you are satisfied with your purchase."

"Great," Jackie muttered under her breath. "So now we got a tin can following us around and monitoring our every move."

"I am not made of tin, I am made of ionized plutonic energy cells which are located in my core processing center, which is stored in my retina chip," the service bot explained.

Marco gave the thing a long lost look before asking in confusion, "Um, what?"

"Her eyeball powers her face," Jackie translated.

"Ooohhh," the boy said, sorta understanding what all that mumbo-jumbo she had been going on about was.

"Yes, that is a more simplified way of putting it," the service bot agreed. "Now then, is there anything I can do to make your shopping experience easier, I could perhaps give you directions to a section of our store, or read you off some deals we have going, or I could get you set up with our membership program-"

As the bot continued to list off more and more options, Marco and Jackie tuned her out, turning to each other as they began whispering amongst each other. "Well looks like we're gonna be stuck here a while, dude," Jackie pointed out.

"Yeah I know," the boy sighed. "Man, why is this so hard? I know Star better than anyone, finding her a gift should be no problem."

"Well, what do you think she would want?"

The boy shook his head. "I'm not sure, there's just too many options in here, I can't think straight."

"There has to be something in here she would like?"

"Yeah, but I don't want it to be just any old gift, I want it to be perfect."

The service bot's voice instantly stopped and the two turned to the machine, giving it quizzical looks. Its eyeball was wildly blinking red and before either could question what it was doing, it simply stated, "Request acknowledged."

There was a bright flash of light, as it shot a beam directly at Marco and Jackie, who screamed and held onto each other, fearing for their lives, clenching their eyes closed. The hooded boy's life flashed before his eyes and he wondered if this was really the end for him and his friend. But after a few seconds without blinding pain, the boy decided to risk peaking open an eye. The two were now in a giant empty room, their ragged breath echoing off the walls of the open space. Hovering over them was the service bot, who gave them the same empty look as before, though now the blinking red light was gone at least. "Hey, um, Jackie I think we're alive," Marco told the girl and her eyes flew open as she looked around the room in confusion.

"Where are we?" she asked.

The service bot was quick to answer, saying, "The Wishing Room. A coming attraction to the Quest Buy store opening up to the public sometime next year."

"Wishing Room?" Jackie repeated skeptically at the same time Marco nervously questioned, "Are we even allowed in here?"

"Yes, I have granted you both temporary access in response to your request," the bot answered.

"My request?" the boy asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

Suddenly, the bots eye lit up red again, this time Marco hearing his own words and voice being repeated back to him, '_I don't want it to be just any old gift, I want it to be perfect.'_

"Okay, that's creepy," Jackie said, shuddering as a chill went up her spine.

Marco was inclined to agree, but he pushed this frightening moment aside for the more pressing concern he had. "So this room... it can help me get the perfect gift for Star?"

"Yes," the service bot replied simply. "The Wishing Room can create anything it is you desire."

The boy smiled and eagerly asked, "Okay great, how does it work?!"

"Whatever you think of will appear here," the service bot explained.

"Wow, that seems so simple," Marco gasped in shock. He had thought it would be much more complicated process that that.

"We are designing it to be user friendly, once we work the last of the bugs out."

"What was that last bit?" Jackie questioned skeptically.

"Nothing to concern yourselves over, the safety of our shoppers at Quest Buy are our top priority," the bot recited, her monotone voice sounding almost as if she was reading off of a script.

"Okay then," Jackie said, slowly raising an eyebrow before turning to the hooded teen. "Go ahead and give it a shot, dude."

"Right," Marco said with a confident nod. He took a step forward, closing his eyes so he could concentrate on what he was doing, before saying loudly, "Okay room, please give me what Star wants most!"

The boy heard a _poof _sound and he smiled opening his eyes, expecting to see something amazing in front of him, but he could only gasp and stare open-mouthed at what had been created. Standing before him was a replica of him, except for his mole being on the wrong side, his cheek marks were dull and faded, and wearing a blue hoodie instead of his typical red. "Wh-Who are you?!" Marco asked in shock.

The boy smiled and stated plainly, "Oh I'm Marco Fresh, the new cooler version of you, who is gonna sweep Star off her feet-"

"Nope!" Jackie shouted, waving her hands in front of her and making the fake Marco vanish from sight. "That is not what we wanted!"

Marco just continued to stare blankly ahead, his eyes wide and full of confusion, "D-Did I just make another me?"

Jackie sighed, before telling him, "That must have just been one of the glitches, try again Marco."

The boy nodded, still looking slightly startled, before he took a deep breath and tried again, trying to concentrate on something Star would like. The blond liked a lot of thing, rainbows, narwhals, that old band Love Sentence she and he had listened to a couple of songs from. Let's see what else? Puppies, sunsets, her home and family, making people smile which always seemed to just make her whole face light up in the cutest way... okay, focus Marco. What was the thing she loved the most in the world?

He heard another _poof_ sound and his eyes snapped open only to see nothing before him. He frowned and looked around a bit, till he eventually found his newest creation sitting at his feet. It was a miniature version of him, wearing only a diaper, with its mole and cheek marks looking the same as the last fake him. Only this time, it had red wheels on its feet. It smiled up at him, before saying, "I'm Baby Marco and I have wheels for hands, Whhhheeeee!" It skidded away, leaving a dust cloud behind it as the two teens could only gap in disbelief at what had just occurred. The two shared a quick look before Marco suggested, "Never speak of this again?"

"Agreed," the skater said instantly.

"Okay this clearly isn't working," the hooded boy said with a disappointed look. "Maybe we should just go back to searching the store."

"Yeah, I think this room is either broken or buggy," Jackie concluded, her hands going to her hips as she looked around the large space skeptically.

"The Wishing Room is fully operational and had encountered zero glitches in-24- days," the service bot replied, pausing as her voice changed when stating the number of days.

"Then why isn't it working?" Marco asked, growing quickly frustrated. "Why can't it just do what I asked and make the one thing Star cares about most?!"

The boy looked away from the machine sadly, his gaze connecting with a mirror that had suddenly appeared next to him. He stared at his dejected looking reflection for a few moments before he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut as he asked softly, "Why don't I know what Star wants?"

Jackie the whole time was giving him a thoughtful expression, when suddenly the answer clicked in her mind and a smile lit up her face. She walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder as she gave him a cheerful look with her pair of bright eyes, "Maybe you do."

Marco gave her a perplexed look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe the answer is right in front of you," Jackie explained, gesturing over to his reflected image.

The hooded boy followed her gaze, before cocking his head quizzically to the side, as he asked, "A mirror? But she already has one of those."

"No, not the mirror," Jackie replied, with a slight giggle at the boy's cute naivety. "You."

"Ohhh," Marco said, finally nodding in understanding. He looked back over at his reflected image, a smile lighting up his face, asking softly, "You really think it's me?"

"Well yeah, I mean what does Star care about more than you," the skater replied.

"Awwww," Marco said, his cheeks lighting up with a blush and his eyes shimmering with affection. "That is so sweet!"

Next to them, though, the service bot was starting to act weird, its body twitching and its eye flashing bright red, along with the rest of its electrical body. The two noticed this and Marco asked his friend in concern, "Um, what's it doing?"

"Uhhhh-" was all Jackie got out before it interrupted her.

"Error, error, error!" it began screeching, making the two cover their ears at the loud, obnoxious noise. "Item not found in Quest Buy's inventory! Request unable to be complete!" All the while, its body began shuddering more and more, until it was simply repeating the same phrase over and over, "Item not found! Item not found! Item not found!"

Finally, much to the two's surprise and dismay the machine exploded into a ball of flashing lights and electric currents, the two shielding their eyes from the bright burst of heat. After a couple seconds, the two slowly moved their hands and opened their eyes, seeing a singed and broken patch of ground where nothing remained save for a green card with an eyeball on it. The two just stared at it for a few moments, completely speechless after what had just occurred, until finally Marco asked, "Sooo, are we gonna have to pay for that?"

…

The two were giving the sloth worker sheepish smiles and shrugs as they watched him clean up the last of the mess that the destroyed bot had left behind, shooting them very unhappy glares as he did so. Lucky for them, Quest Buy wasn't making them cover the costs on their one of a kind robot, after they had explained the story to them, since it seemed more due to bad programming then their fault directly. Still, that didn't stop the two from feeling guilty for breaking it but there was little they could do about it now, no sense dwelling on it.

Besides there was still the task at hand and now that that fiasco was over, the two's mind drifted back to their mission as they followed the sloth out of the back room. They watched him as he grumpily stormed away, before Jackie turned to her friend and asked, "So Marco have you figured out what to get Star?"

The boy shrugged, saying, "Not really. I mean it's cool that I'm so important to her but it's not like I can exactly wrap myself up to give to her."

"True, but on the bright side whatever you get her she's sure to love because it came from you," Jackie pointed out, elbowing him once in the shoulder.

Marco contemplated that for a few moments, biting the inside of his cheek in thought. He knew that was true that it didn't matter what he got her she would be sure to enjoy, but he still didn't want it to be just any gift, he wanted it to be special... like the hoodie she made for him. It was amazing not just because it had come from Star but that she had put so much care and thought into getting him exactly what she knew he would love. So the big question was, what could he give her that could compare to her amazing present?

That was when it hit him, the answer that had been right in front of him the whole time. How had he not thought of it sooner? It was perfect and he was sure it was exactly what she would want. A smiled brightened up his face as he slowly turned to Jackie, who gave him a curious look seeing the excitement written all over his face. "What? Did you figure out what to get her?" she asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer (if his cheek marks which had turned into flashing light bulbs were any indication than the answer was definitely yes).

The boy nodded, confirming Jackie's suspicions, as he proudly declared, "Yeah, I think I know what she wants."

"Great to hear, Marco," the skater said with an encouraging grin. "But we better hurry and get whatever it is though. Quest Buy closes soon."

The girl started to run ahead, but came to an immediate stop the second she heard her friend say, "Actually..." She turned back to him with surprise. "...it's not in Quest Buy."

Jackie raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for further explanation, before he added mysteriously, "In fact, we've already got everything we need." He put his hands on his hips, the knowing smile on his lips never wavering as he just stared ahead with a confident look gleaming in his eyes, until finally his friend asked, "Sooo are you tell me what it is or-"  
The boy gave her a sheepish look, saying quickly, "Oh yeah right, sorry."

…

Night set on Mewni, bringing Stump Day ever closer to an end for the year and for most in Butterfly Castle, they spent that night in blissful sleep, unaware of the world turning. It was silent and peaceful in the castle not a creature stirring not even a gobblemouse, which could be quite the pest this time of year. It seemed nothing could disturb the calm silence of the quiet evening as a gentle snowfall continued into the late hours of the night, not even a gust of wind had blown through to disturb the dream-like state that had fallen over the kingdom.

Star was asleep in her bed, enjoying the quiet as visions of sugar plums danced through her head. The girl let out a deep sigh and licked her lips, muttering groggily, "Mmmm, delicious." She pulled her arms a little closer to herself, bringing the bright red hoodie right up to her nose and she subconsciously took a long sniff, feeling calmed by the smell of her Marco, a smile appearing on her face as she fell into an even deeper state of slumber.

The door to her room slowly creaked open, Marco cringing as he feared the loud noise would wake her up but Star made no movement from her bed and the hooded teen breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully tiptoed his way over to her bed, making sure to avoid tripping over anything in the dark and, once he made it to her bed, he simply watched her sleeping form for a moment, mesmerized by the rise and fall of her chest as she snored softly. He noticed his hoodie held tightly in her grip and he felt his cheeks flush, causing his cheek marks to spin, and a grin light up his face. It looked like the same one she had at the party and he couldn't help but wonder if she had carried it around with her all day. He imagined she had, she seemed quite attached to it in sleep.

"Star," he softly whispered, trying to keep his voice low, despite the eagerness and impatience he felt building up inside his chest. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake, saying, "Wake up."

The girl groaned, mumbling incoherent things in her sleep while she scrunched up her face, making her resemble and a cute, little rabbit Marco observed. Finally, after a bit more prompting from the boy, Star raised a hand up to her face and lifted her sleeping mask up enough so that she could peek open an eye and see who was disturbing her slumber. "Marco?" she groggily murmured, sitting up some, before letting out a loud yawn. But as she did she realized the hoodie was currently laying against her chest and she quickly tucked it underneath her pillow, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink, hoping he hadn't noticed it. "W-What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding a bit more awake than before, even though her face told him she was still half-asleep.

"Well it's midnight, so I just wanted to be the first to tell you..." the boy began slowly, before exclaiming loudly, "Happy Birthday!" He surprised her as he threw his arms around her in a tight hug making the blond giggle and beam ear to ear as her favorite person in the universe held her in a close embrace.

"Awww, Marco," Star cooed, finding him just as adorable and enduring as ever. "You're the greatest!" The girl adjusted her position enough so she would give him a quick kiss on the cheek, reveling in the happy laughter that followed from her sweet Marco.

After another minute of just holding her close, the hooded teen finally pulled out of the hug, saying, "So, did you like my surprise?"

The girl nodded, giving him a loving grin. "Yeah I did." She sighed, starting to lay her head back when Marco suddenly exclaimed, "Great, because that isn't the only one!"

"Oh really," the blond royal said, raising a playful eyebrow.

"Nope, which is why I need you to come with me so I can show it to you," he said, grabbing her arm trying to drag her out of bed.

Star paused, having a sneaking suspicion that he was going to lead her to a waiting surprise party and she debated for a moment on asking him to wait till morning. She could use the sleep... but seeing the look of excitement on Marco's face as he practically bounced around her bed, his body incapable of holding still making him look like an adorable little kid, she didn't have it in her to say no. So she just smiled and threw her covers off, revealing her pink bunny onesie she had gone to sleep in (a gift from her mom), before rising up out of bed. Marco waited patiently as Star took a quick second to stretch before following after him, though he never once released his hold on her arm as she did.

The boy did his best not to completely drag Star as they descended the steps to the bottom floor of the castle, wanting so badly to run the rest of the way, but he fought the urge back, continuing on at what felt to him like an agonizingly slow pace. The moment they reached the bottom steps, Marco released her hand maneuvering himself so he was behind Star, putting his hands over her eyes. "Marco, what are you doing?" she asked with a playful edge to her tone.

"I don't want to spoil the surprise," the boy replied, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. He couldn't wait to see Star's reaction.

Star just laughed and said, "Okay then, lead the way Marco." The hooded boy obeyed guiding the blinded girl down the hall and into the throne room, where the gathered crowd quickly held their breaths waiting for their cue from Marco. The teen brought his blond bestie to a stop, keeping his hands in place as he said in a sing-song voice, "We're heeerree."

"So then can I open my eyes now?" the girl asked, all this anticipation and build up causing her own excitement to grow despite already knowing what was coming, recognizing the path they had taken by heart and picking up the hushed breathing around her. It was pretty obvious her original suspicion was correct, but that still didn't mean she wasn't looking forward to it. Besides, it was hard not to want to join in when your bouncy, innocent boyfriend is helping hype you up with his own one-of-a-kind enthusiasm.

The boy instantly removed his hands, his eyes remaining implanted on Star as he shouted, "Okay, open 'em Star!" The blond did just that, blinking her eyes open at the same moment a chorus of cheers rang out around the room, all simultaneously shouting, "Happy Birthday, Star!" The girl gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, as she took in the scene before throne room was now covered head to toe in decorations the time and care put into hanging each and every balloon and streamer apparent just from looking at it, even though most of it seemed to be recycled from the Stump Day party. A pile of presents was stacked neatly in the corner and a massive rainbow colored cake the size of the Star sat a short ways away from it on a table with a fancy white tablecloth. It was beautiful and delicious, just looking at it making Star's mouth water and she recognized it instantly as Kelly's work, especially as the green-haired girl only stood a short ways away, admiring it.

But none of this was what really had left her awed and speechless. That honor went to the group gathered there to greet her, consisting of not just the set of her close friends like Jackie, Janna, Tom, Pony, and so on that were to be expected... but also the smiling faces of every single orphan who had ever lived in the castle before, who she considered to be just as much family as her own flesh and blood.

"Oh my gosh, what are you all doing here?!" she asked in disbelief, looking around at the large crowd before her, misty-eyed.

"Me and Jackie invited them," Janna explained her arm leaning on the skater's shoulder, who shared the same pleased smile at invoking the reaction they got from their friend. "It was Jack's idea actually."

"Yeah, we figured you'd want everyone here to celebrate," Jackie said, her eyes shining with bright enthusiasm. "Just consider it my birthday gift to you."

"Our birthday gift to you," Janna blurted out, raising a finger in the air.

Star let out a long breath, fighting back tears as she choked out, "I-I can't believe you all made it!"

"Of course we did, you really think we'd miss out on our favorite person in the world's birthday?" Oscar spoke up, giving her a pleasant grin that made her heart fill with warmth.

"Thank you all so much," she said, her voice cracking a bit and the others all let out a collective _aww,_ before racing over to envelop her in hugs, Starfan13 beating all of them to the punch.

All the while, Marco was just watching his girlfriend's every move with glee, overjoyed to see her so happy and carefree over her surprise as she hugged each and every one of the orphans, laughing with contentment. He couldn't help but feel his heart soar, the extra thumping in his chest filling him with pride for helping put such a beautiful smile on his Star's face. And he hadn't even gotten to the best part yet. Once Star had given out the last of her hugs to the others, Marco turned his attention over to Jackie, who gave him a nods and an encouraging thumbs up to tell him it was time. The hooded teen nodded before sucking in a deep breath, pulling the small, neatly wrapped gift from his pocket as he made his way over to Star.

"I can't believe you all did this for me!" Star shouted, her eyes shimmering with joy and affection for her little family, a hand over her heart. "This is just so... incredible!"

"So then, I'm taking it you liked the surprise?" Oscar asked, jokingly.

Star laughed. "Yes I did."

"So then, think you feel like getting one more?" Marco asked, offering her his present with one of his cute, signature smiles.

The girl stared down in shock at the gift in the boy's hands for a second, taking in the perfectly folded pink wrapping paper and dark pink bow, before her eyes caught Marco's and Star felt her cheek marks beat once against her will as she felt her face heat up with a familiar blush. Finally she regained control of her senses, saying sweetly, "Oh Marco you shouldn't have," before taking the present from him.

"Well I wanted mine to be the first one you opened, since I think you're really gonna like it," Marco said, practically squealing with joy.

"I'm sure I will," Star said, giving him an affectionate look, while her hands fiddled with the bow, trying to find the best way to open it without making too big a mess. The while time, Marco seemed to be getting more and more eager and impatient for her to open the gift, his eyes darting back and forth wildly and his body beginning to shake with anticipation.

"You should really hurry up and open it, Star," Janna spoke up. "I don't think Marco can wait a minute longer." The girl followed her gaze and held back a laugh at her boyfriend's adorable jitteriness, his face turning slightly pale as he held his breath, looking like he might explode if she didn't see what was inside soon. So, not wanting to waste another moment, she ditched the delicate approach as she yanked the ribbon free and then preceded to tear through the wrapping paper in the span of a couple seconds.

The moment she got a good look at her gift she froze, staring at the small strip of cloth speechless. It was a piece of Marco's hoodie, no bigger than her hand, the soft, red material unmistakable from anything else, she had become quite familiar with it over the months she had been with Marco after all. It had been cut off into a circular shape, before being stitched along the sides to hide the jagged edges and Star didn't have a clue who had enough experience there to do such a thing. But even more impressive than that was the pink outline of an octopus, an exact replica to the one on the front of her favorite dress. "Wha- Bu- How?" was all she managed to gasp out, running a finger along the soft cloth as the scent of Marco drifted up to her nose.

"Well I noticed you seemed pretty attached to my hoodie back at the party," the boy began, making Star blush, but he didn't even notice too busy glowing with pride and joy for his good guesswork. "So I figured you must really like it like me, so I cut out a piece of one of my hoodies for you. The sewing was the hardest part but I-" The boy stopped himself looking over at his friend Higgs, who had been the one to show him how to sew it under the condition that he didn't tell anyone about one of her hobbies, and he quickly corrected himself before he accidentally gave it away. "-figured it out. Its small enough that it can fit inside your purse," the boy continued. "So that way, you'll always have something to remind you of me, even when we're apart."

The girl stared at him for a long time in silence, her eyes jumping back and forth from her boyfriend's smiling face to her gift, her throat closed up making it impossible for her to speak at the moment. "Do you like it?" he asked, his patience growing thin as he waited for Star's answer.

The girl nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat, before squeaking out, "I love it! Thank you so much, Marco!" Then, unsurprisingly, she pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight as she whispered into his ear, "I can't believe you really destroyed one of your hoodies, just for me."

"Well of course I did, your amazing Star and I wanted to give you the perfect gift," the hooded boy clarified, not sounding at all upset or worried that one of his favorite possessions was ruined. "Besides, I do still have twelve others and you did just get me a new one, so it's not like I really sacrificed anything..." the boy sheepishly added.

Star shook her head, still never breaking her hold from her Marco. "Doesn't matter. It was still very sweet of you. I couldn't have asked for a better present from my amazing bestie," she softly cooed, finally pulling out of the hug to stare deep into his eyes.

"Soooo, what your saying is my gift was... perfect?" the teen slowly asked, looking excited for the answer.

Star nodded, trying to hold back her laughter at her boyfriend's naive cuteness. "Yes, it was perfect," she agreed, before leaning closer and giving him the gentlest kiss on the lips. Marco reveled in the kiss, before deepening it himself, moving his lips softly against hers, one of the very few times he had taken the initiative where their kisses were concerned. Meanwhile, the others were just watching them in silence, all of them having to hold back their want to gush over the adorable couple, most of the orphans there never getting to actually to see them acting lovey-dovey around each other, since their last time around the two had been before they had started dating. All of them had known that Star and Marco had feeling for each other, but it was another thing to see them actually expressing this in such a way and not a one of them could hide their joy over seeing both teens truly happy.

Finally the young couple's lips parted, staring breathlessly at each other as their eyes just shined with love and affection, brown and blue meeting in a beautiful dance of shimmering pupils. Star looked slowly back over at her crowd of friends watching her every move and felt a small blush light up her cheeks. She had forgotten they had an audience. But she swallowed her embarrassment, saying, "Well then, I guess all that's left to do is get this party started." The others all let out a cheer of delight, before Star and Marco shared another smile, looking so happy and content just being in the other's arms.

Pony, as soon as she heard her bestie's declaration, she suddenly blurted out, "Okay but first, could someone please turn on some heat, it's freezing in here?" Her teeth were chattering and her whole body was shivering to show just how miserable she was.

Jackie noticed this and quickly nodded, reassuring her with a simple, "I'm on it," before going over to the fireplace. As she did, Tom gave his friend a skeptical look, saying, "I don't know what your talking about, P. I feel just fine and I literally live in fire."

Pony just rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Well yeah you think that, you can also light yourself on fire," she snapped.

"Then maybe all we need is Tom to stay warm," Janna suggested, wrapping her arms around her crushes neck, the boy giving her an odd look.

"What are you-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Janna had leaned over and given him a kiss on the cheek, causing his hair to erupt into flames, while he himself froze in place with a goofy, surprised smile.

"See, told you. He's the best heat source there is," the girl smugly said, her arms never breaking hold of his neck.

Jackie, meanwhile, was busy examining the fireplace with a frown. It had somehow gone out during the night and the girl didn't understand how or why such a thing could happen, especially when they were using Phoenix Embers which were supposed to burn for twice as long as wood or coal. And yet, the half-burnt chunks of charred rock were proof that they had once been lit but somehow gone out, no sign of how such a thing could have come to pass._ Maybe one of the others had put it out_, Jackie thought. But that was unlikely. She leaned down, to try and restart the fire, when she felt a few specks of dust land in her hair and she looked up the dark chimney in surprise. She gasped, her eyes widening in shock, as she quickly stood back up, calling over to her friends, "Uhhh, hey, Star, Marco! You might want to come over here!"

The two gave her an odd look before obeying, running over to join her at the fireplace. "What's up?" Star asked.

"Well you might not believe this but there are a bunch of presents stuffed up the chimney," the skater said.

The two blinked in disbelief, before Marco asked, "Huh?"

"You know what, think it's better if I show you," Jackie said before going over to the fireplace and slamming a hand into the brickwork as hard as she could. Instantly, a pile of presents came tumbling down, falling into a pile on the floor, making Star and Marco just gap open-mouthed. It also attracted the others attention, all of them staring over at the three in confusion.

"Whhhoooaaa," Marco softly whispered. "Who are all these presents for?"

"No idea," Star said, before walking slowly over to the gifts, examining them closely. "But there has to be like, at least thirty gifts here!"

"The bigger question is, how did they get here?" Jackie asked, before her and Star locked gaze, the two girls both coming to the same realization. "You don't think-" Jackie started.

Star nodded, her hands to her hips. "How else do you explain all of these presents just showing up in our chimney?"

"Good point," Jackie agreed.

"Hey guys look, a note," Marco gasped, picking up the small slip of paper lying on one of the gift boxes. The two girls moved so they could look over his shoulder at the light red parchment, while the others leaned forward hoping to satisfy their own curiosity over the mysterious letter. Star asked her boyfriend, "What's it say, Marco?"

The boy frowned in concentration as he slowly read off the poem written in delicate cursive on the page. "For the boy who helped spread the message of equality and peace, with his joyful enthusiasm that never does cease. With his kind acts of bravery and heart filled with light, he ended the violence and ceased the big fight. And although growing up he wasn't taught of this day, the spirit was in him in its own special way. And since none deserve better and his good deeds have shown, a lifetime of presents for every year he has grown.

Merry Stump Day, Marco Diaz.

Signed, SC and S"

An audible gasp and soft murmuring came from the others the second the boy was done reading, while Marco just let the paper in his hands go, numbly watching it flutter to the floor, before looking over at the presents in shock. After a moment of just silent contemplation, he turned to Star and Jackie, who both just stood there completely speechless. "Who's SC and S?" he asked them in confusion.

"That would be Santa Claus and the Stump," Star explained, still looking amazed by this fact. "I mean, if you think about, it all adds up." She gestured over to the pile of unopened presents.

"Huh, well how about that, dude," Jackie said, giving Marco an encouraging grin. "Looks like you just brought the Stump and Santa together."

Marco gasped, his eyes filling with joy, as he whispered in pure delight and wonderment, "Like in your cheesy Christmas specials?"

"Yep, exactly like that," Jackie agreed with a chuckle.

"It's a Stump Day miracle!" Starfan13 suddenly shouted out and the others all released a loud cheer.

Tom, however, could only stare wide-eyed, before he blurted out, "Wait, so you're saying their actually real! I always thought they were just kids stories!"

"Of course they're real," Star firmly stated, crossing her arms and shooting him a glare for ever doubting the Stump. Didn't he know how dangerous that could be?

"Besides you can literally light yourself on fire," Janna pointed out. "That's honestly one of the least crazy things that's happened to us this year."

Tom opened his mouth, looking like he was on the verge of arguing but seemed to think better of it, shrugging and saying, "Good point."

"Soooo," Marco's voice cut in, bringing all the attention back to him as he looked down at the gifts longingly. "Does that mean these are all for me?"

Star put an arm around the boy, telling him in a sweet voice, "Yep, apparently Santa and the Stump recognized just how special and amazing you are! Just like the rest of us all know."

The boy blushed, before asking delightedly, "So I get to open _all _of these?"

Star giggled, before kissing his cheek, "Yep, go ahead. You earned it, Marco."

"Yeah and you better get started, you've apparently got fourteen years worth to get through," Jackie added playfully.

"Okay!" the boy yelled, before joyfully diving for the nearest present, not wasting a second as he ripped it open. He gasped, before shouting in pure elation, "Oh my gosh, it's a box!"

The others just watched as the adorable teen opened present after present, _oohing, awwing_ and showing off each and every gift, re-experiencing the joy of Stump Day all over again. Star just smiled and laughed at her boyfriend's joyous reactions, grateful with each new thing he received no matter what it was. She was so enchanted by the hooded teen in fact, that she didn't even realize Janna had snuck up behind her until she was speaking from right next to her, causing the blond to jump slightly. "You know it doesn't seem fair," the beanie-wearing teen observed and Star gave her a questioning look.

"What doesn't?" Star asked, an eyebrow slowly raising.

"That they didn't get you anything," Janna said simply, her hands sliding into her pockets. "I mean sure, I get what they were going for, giving Marco enough presents to make up for never getting to celebrate Stump Day before. But what about you? You helped bring peace to Mewni, too. They couldn't have sent you a card or something. Geez, how cruel is that."

Star considered this for a moment, as her hands began fiddling with the small patch of Marco's hoodie. She couldn't help but grin down at it, still touched by her bestie's thoughtfulness. She couldn't have asked for a better gift for him, the idea of carrying a piece of Marco around with her everywhere filled her with so much joy she wasn't sure their were words to describe such a feeling. And as she slowly looked back up at Marco, seeing the joy and happiness spread all over his gaze, she felt her heart swelling in a way that only her Marco could cause, her crystal eyes shimmering like a thousand diamonds.

Star's face softened into a loving glow as she watched her pure, sweet Marco enjoying his very first Stump Day, every ounce of unparallelled delight and merriment on his face making Star's heart leap. Just getting to see him smile like that, easily made this the best birthday she had ever had, as her boyfriend was rightfully spoiled yet again. Which was why the girl couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself, her eyes never once leaving Marco as she told her friend in a tender, whispered tone, "It's not cruel. They knew exactly what to get me."

**Thanks everyone for all the love and support, I'm not sure I would still be writing without all the awesome support. You are all fantastic! Hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas (/Stump Day)! **


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